ABOUT & FAQ's

A cleft is a gap in the mouth that didn't close during the early stages of pregnancy. As a result, children born with a cleft condition may have an opening in the lip or the roof of their mouth – or both. Children can have a unilateral cleft condition, meaning one side of their mouth is affected, or they can have a bilateral cleft condition where both sides of the mouth are affected.

Not every country or community around the world is the same. That's why we work with local medical professionals, governments, hospitals and other NGOs to create various models of surgical care. Together, we determine which solutions work best in order to reach as many children as possible wherever we work. And we’re going to keep doing this and refining our approach as we move forward. All with the goal to give the most effective surgical care to patients worldwide. First and foremost, we bring the highest quality of care to every child, every time. We were the first cleft organization to support the World Health Organization's Safe Surgery Saves Lives initiative. Our Global Standards of Care is our commitment to ensuring that every patient cared for by Operation Smile will benefit from the same sophisticated equipment, procedures and highly trained, credentialed medical professionals, no matter where they receive treatment.

As little as $240 helps provide surgery to a child with a cleft condition. This is possible thanks to the generous contributions of medical professionals who volunteer their time, as well as corporations that donate critical supplies and equipment necessary for safe surgery. This cost includes expenses incurred for essential medical team members to be at a medical mission, the expenses for additional required supplies and shipping cargo costs.

Operation Smile conducts hundreds of medical missions in locations around the world. Every one of those locations is unique. Sometimes we have to import medical equipment and/or import medical expertise which can make providing free surgeries more costly. We work with local medical professionals, governments, hospitals and other NGOs to create various models of surgical care. Together, we determine which solutions work best in order to reach as many children as possible wherever we work. We have the same goal: improve how surgical care is delivered while empowering local communities. As a result of these efforts, Operation Smile’s surgeries are performed by local medical professionals at a greatly reduced cost.

Our U.S. Care Network referral service is available to families in the United States, so they may find the help they need for their children. There are three components: A list of referral websites about facial deformities, a physician resource list that includes the names of doctors who are available to review a case and an Operation Smile representative who can provide guidance.

According to BBB standards, “The effectiveness of a charity in achieving its mission is of the utmost importance. It’s key that potential donors know that when they give to a charity, their money is going to have an impact.” Operation Smile meets all standards that require our organization to assess performance and effectiveness, and reporting of our progress for delivering safe surgery to children and families worldwide. Additionally, Operation Smile meets all BBB standards that establish financial transparency and the spending of funds in accordance with our mission and donor expectations. In the U.S., three leading sources of information about charities encourage donors to consider the big picture rather than what is often referred to as the overhead myth. The cost of overhead expenses (e.g. salaries, offices and administration) as the predominant measure of our performance is not a fair assessment of our impact. Beyond financial donations, contributed services and gifts-in-kind are tremendously helpful and have a great impact on our financial stewardship. The less we have to pay for these services and products, the more we can place toward the care of patients and effective medical programs. We encourage you to read our Annual Report and Financial Statements to see the impact of your donations and our work. Operation Smile provides a financial statement from a certified independent auditor, KPMG LLP, every year as a part of its annual reporting. Operation Smile is deeply committed to being the best steward of your gifts. We value the trust you place in our work and our ability to optimize resources and direct funds to programs that will help us care for children suffering from facial deformities.

There are great opportunities for students of all grade levels – from elementary school through college. Operation Smile Student Programs empowers youth, creating a global movement for positive change through four pillars of philanthropy: Leadership, Education, Service and Awareness. Hundreds of Operation Smile Student Clubs and associations around the globe build awareness, raise funds and educate students about Operation Smile's core values of commitment, leadership and volunteerism. When students help children in need, they learn firsthand how they can make an impact on the world and help heal humanity. Our chapter of Operation Smile is an example of a student opportunity!

Operation Smile UIUC Chapter was founded by Lisa Marie Songco & Audrey Adams in 2006 during their Sophomore year. With the help of their fellow board members: Rakesh Gadde - Treasurer Courtney Stefanski - Secretary Bernadette Gil - Publicity Chair Komal Kenkare - Webmaster Their intent was to help spread the word about the seriousness of cleft palates and lips that is often left unrecognized especially in the United States where such a routine and often affordable surgery is quickly mended. While in other countries, being born with cleft palates and/or lips is prevalent causing not only critical health problems but also provoking in many children and young adults to be outcast by others. With the help of dedicated members, they promoted Operation Smile - UIUC Chapter through charitable fundraisers and volunteer opportunities throughout the local Champaign/Urbana community.

Feel free to contact one of our Executive Board members or check out our Become A Member page located on the site!